Friday, June 5, 2009

What a morning! Anya's monthly appointment was scheduled for this morning at 8:30am. She received her antibiotic and chemo through her port and had a spinal tap to get chemo in her nervous system. Despite the fact that she wasn't allowed to have any food or fluids since last night, things went very smoothly until the spinal tap.

Before the spinal tap the nurse administered "sleepy medicine" which is supposed to be a pain killer, sleep inducer, and temporary memory eraser - all in one! Things were going well at first, Anya started to get sleepy and lay down but as the procedure started she was roused a bit more, and obviously was experiencing pain.

When the doctor first stuck in the needle (similar to an epidural needle, if you are familiar with those) Anya tensed up a bit. This made it more difficult for him to find the proper placement which made the procedure take more time and cause more discomfort. She started crying, and tears welled in her eyes, and fell down her cheeks.

There are few things that hurt a mother more than seeing their child suffer...it broke my heart. Those are the times when everything in you wants to start crying, but of course the best way to support your baby is to stay strong, and give loving gentle support.

Thankfully that was all over in about 10 minutes, and she was able to rest. She wasn't ever able to fall asleep, to "sleep off" the effects of the medication, but she did enjoy a couple episodes of "Sponge Bob" and her favorite treat - chicken noodle soup. So glad we only have one more of these type of months before treatment is over!